The Winter Holidays are a time to spend time with loved ones, decorate, shop for gifts, and celebrate the season. Often with all of the hustle, bustle and excitement there can also be tension, arguments and errors in communication. Below are 5 ways to get through the holidays and enjoy the season (instead of stressing about how you’re going to; juggle your schedule to visit 3 families/houses in 24 hours, purchase presents for 25 people without going broke or fear that you have left anyone out). 

1.)    Less is more- This year focus on purchasing or creating one meaningful gift for the people on your Christmas list rather than buying a bunch of generic things.  Instead of purchasing items because they are great buys, really think through what you want to give each person on your gift list.  Doing this helps cut down on impulse buying, time spent shopping, and the amount of time spent returning gifts (by you or the recipient).

2.)    Just say “no” – This pertains to events; just because you’ve been invited to 7 Christmas parties does not mean that you have to attend them all. Usually when you spend all of your free time running around (shopping, parties, etc.) the quality of your time suffers.

3.)    Mindfulness- This ties directly into the idea of saying no to things you don’t absolutely want to do.  In order to be mindful you must be focused on your current experience. As a consequence of mentally being focused on the next thing (task, event, spending, etc.), it is virtually impossible to enjoy the present.

4.)    Delegate- During the holidays it’s tempting to try to be Martha Stewart; bake cookies from scratch, create Christmas decorations with the kids, host a party for 30 of your closest friends, participate in your church’s annual food drive and artfully wrap all of the family’s gifts. It will be a tremendous help to pass some of theses tasks on to others. Maybe let your mother or mother-in-law bake cookies with the kids, let one of your friends host the party rather than you, or ask your kids to help wrap the gifts. It may not all turn out exactly the way you envision it, but you will have the energy to enjoy it for a change!

5.)    Connect- It is important to reach out to others during the holidays. This means going gift shopping with friends, writing out your Christmas cards with your spouse, or making a gingerbread house with your kids. It’s easy to get caught up in the commercial side of the holidays. This year focus on what is most important; relationships.